Congratulatory texts from friends on the mobile phone of Nick Brown today including one saying: "It's been a long march back."

The text sums up the career of 58-year-old Brown, whose first political act (as a GMB union official) was to ensure that Tony Blair got selected for Sedgefield in 1983. His second was to ensure he got into parliament as MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne the same year.

Brown started as a Blair loyalist but moved over to Gordon Brown when he got into government, becoming disillusioned with the way Blair handled people.

Blair initially returned the political favour by making him chief whip in 1997 and agriculture secretary in 1998. But he fell out with Downing Street advisers over how the 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis ought to be handled. As a result he was demoted to outside the cabinet as minister for work and dropped altogether in 2003.

After four years in the wilderness Brown rehabilitated him in 2007 as deputy chief whip and minister for north-east England. He was promoted to chief whip – his original job under Blair - today.

Although always seen as part of the Labour north east, he is a southerner born in Kent.

Upon being outed as gay in 1998, he quipped to the media, who chased him on a farm visit: "It's a lovely day. The sun is out - and so am I."

Less well known is that he is an opera buff and a lover of Russian classical music. He will always be typecast by the PM as his best and most formidable fixer. In private his real ambition is Andy Burnham's job, culture secretary.